Khabib Nurmagomedov Extends Unbeaten Record at UFC 242

UFC 242 was all about the return of Khabib to the octagon and he did not disappoint as he extended his unbeaten record in the main event. The Martial arts betting prior to the event made him the short priced favourite to beat Dustin Poirier to retain his lightweight title. The victory now means the 30 year old has a professional record of 28-0-0 and is without a doubt one of the leading pound for pound fighters in the sport.

This victory now sets Khabib up with the hugely anticipated clash with Tony Ferguson to finally see who is the best lightweight in the sport. Can it be a fifth time lucky between the pair who also hold the longest active win streaks in the UFC.

UFC 242 saw the return of the organisation to the UAE, as the event took place inside the Arena, on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. This was the third visit to Abu Dhabi, with the first coming back in April of 2014.

Carlos Diego Ferreira opened the main card with a victory against Mairbek Taisumov. He won via unanimous decision with the scores 29-28, 29-27, 29-27. A heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Shamil Abdurakhimov followed, with the former winning via TKO in the second round. This following several elbows and punches that finished the contest.

Islam Makhackev then extended his record to 18 wins and just one loss, following a unanimous decision victory over Davi Ramos. This was another impressive victory for the Russian and could set him up with a bout with Paul Felder, who has also victorious on the night. Felder won via a split decision over Edson Barboza, in what was a very close fight. Both could have been given the victory so the scores of 27-30, 29-28, 30-26, were a little surprising to many.

This has led to the final contest of the night and the main event between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champion Dustin Poirier. Khabib showed his superiority from the outset with his usual high level wrestling and ground game. The fight was finished in the third round as Khabib submitted Poirier via a rear-naked choke. This performance saw him pick up a performance of the night bonus, alongside Ottman Azaitar, Belal Muhammad and Muslim Salikhov.